Shattered Rift
by AttackInferno
Summary: Inspired by 'Can You Hear Me, Silver? It's Me, Lyra' by Illusion of Insanity. I was born one of the lucky ones. Not many people can say that. It's not in their code. (AU, Fortuneshipping)
1. Chapter 1: Barry

Author's Note: Hey there, AttackInferno here. It'd be great if you could drop a review, but the most important thing is that you enjoy yourself.

Disclaimer: Story written by AttackInferno, but based on 'Can You Hear Me, Silver? It's Me, Lyra' by Illusion of Insanity. You should read that, it's good.

Disclaimer2: I don't own Pokémon.

 **Chapter 1: Barry**

Lucas  


Hi. I'm Lucas. I'm the current champion of the Sinnoh region, and I've been on a quest to fill the National Pokédex, along with my friend Barry.

Sound simple so far, right? It turns out that we're both really lucky. We're "Playable Characters". Most people are born "Non-Playable Characters", which means that they don't really have any free will. They just follow their code. I, however, can do what I want. I'm totally unrestricted. I mean, it's not like I run around in the blizzard on Route 217 and play in the snow with my Pokémon all day. And I don't do it with the ash on Mount Stark either. I was just passing through!.. Although it is a pain to clean my clothes afterwards. Snow's only water, but ash...

Whatever.

As I was saying, I've known Barry my whole life, since I moved to Twinleaf Town when I was four. We used to play together quite a lot, but he always ran off. That part of him never changed. Even when we got our first Pokémon, he ran ahead immediately, and never slowed down. I caught him in Jubilife just enough to hand him his town map, and shortly afterwards we had our first battle with each other. There's nothing more exciting than battling a Playable Character. He had the advantage because he chose Piplup, but my Shinx made short work of him with a few Tackle attacks. It was close. If his Starly hadn't been burnt, it would have been all over for me, I'm sure.

That was our first battle, but rather than hanging around to chat, he charged off towards his first Gym Badge. Again, Barry never changes. I saw him around a few times after that, mostly running up to me for a battle. His fighting spirit was crushed by Jupiter at Lake Acuity, but since then he's matured a lot. It was thanks to him that we were able to stop Team Galactic's plans, after all.

It was only after my second battle with him in the Fight Area that I realised it.

I was shocked.

" _Hey Lucas! You aren't the only one getting tougher! I'll prove it to you! Let's go!"_

He said the exact same words both times... It had to be a joke. Except, when I defeated him, he quoted himself verbatim, and just stood in place. He disappeared on Monday, but was back the following Saturday. The first thing he said?

" _Hey Lucas! You aren't the only one getting tougher! I'll prove it to you! Let's go!"_

I broke down crying there. There was no way he would play a prank for so long. My whole life, my best friend was a Non-Playable Character. Throughout all the battles, all the meetings, he was just following code.

Nowadays, when I fight him, I can't muster any emotion at all. For an outsider, I imagine I'd look like the NPC.


	2. Chapter 2: Dawn

Disclaimer: Story written by AttackInferno, but based on 'Can You Hear Me, Silver? It's Me, Lyra' by Illusion of Insanity. You should read that, it's good.

Disclaimer2: I don't own Pokémon.

 **Chapter 2: Dawn**

Lucas

Unlike Barry, I knew Dawn was an NPC the instant I saw her. It's a shame, because she's really cute.

We met quite often at the beginning of my adventure. I came back to Sandgem Town a few times to visit Professor Rowan about my Pokédex. This was before I realised that the Pokémon Centre's telephones were free to Trainers. Anyway, I kinda watched her work while I was waiting for the Professor to analyse it. Dawn did paperwork all day, but she had a break for lunch, when she went outside for about half an hour. I tried to talk to her, but like most NPCs, she didn't respond.

Ah well.

I didn't really expect to see her around as much as I did though. It seems she also went on a journey at the same time as me and Barry, but I didn't notice it much. Seeing her at Jubilife was fine, but I didn't expect her to race past me on the Cycling Road. I remember that moment clearly.

 _I suddenly heard the sound of screeching tyres, then the sound of a screeching girl. Dawn hurtled past me, her face terrified, her blue hair whipping about behind her. I just watched as she kept going at an insane speed, (I mean, what can I do to help on a bike?) and crashed into a ditch a little bit off-road._

She waited for me, a twig lodged in her hair, and gave me a VS Seeker, which was nice. I'm telling you, that thing is useful. I once challenged a banker in Jubilife, thinking he was a Trainer. Awkward.

I saw her again in Veilstone, when she lost her Pokédex. Getting the Pokédex was a pain. It was nice to battle in a pair with someone, though. I don't get to do that very often.

After the Spear Pillar incident, she went back to the lab. Fair enough, I guess. I visit every so often just to see that she's doing okay. She doesn't say much, just some stuff about the Pokéradar when I approach.

And that's just about the situation I've been in for the last few months. I see Barry on weekends and Dawn most days, and the only other person I'm really in contact with is Cynthia. She's a PC, and since she lost her Champion title, she's been going about the country looking for information about myths. If I find anything in my travels, I usually tell her about it.


	3. Chapter 3: Hope?

Disclaimer: Story written by AttackInferno, but based on 'Can You Hear Me, Silver? It's Me, Lyra' by Illusion of Insanity. You should read that, it's good.

Disclaimer2: I don't own Pokémon.

 **Chapter 3: Hope?**

Lucas

"Hey Cynthia, do you know any other Playable Characters?"

It was Sunday, and we were both at the league. It was my job to be here occasionally, and Cynthia was popping in for a battle and some tea. It made me realise that the only PC I knew was her, and I wanted to change that. I was thinking about going off to another region to break the monotony.

She looked at me over the glass coffee table as if to say, _'Where are you going with this?'_ before replying. "I know a few. There were some in Kanto making noise a while back. Playable Characters are dotted around everywhere. Lance, Johto's former Champion, is a strange one, though."

"Why?" I asked. What could be so special about him? It's not like he saved the world or anything; I would have heard about it.

Then again, when the myth-seeker told me, she had to repeat it.

"He broke his code."

I needed more information. "So," I began, "does that mean he used to be an NPC, and became like us?"

Cynthia nodded. "That's right. He was in the Elite Four of Kanto at the time, and he stopped dead in the middle of a battle. Suddenly he was free, and moved over to Johto."

That was enough. I grabbed my jacket, rushed outside, and sent out my Staraptor immediately.

* * *

I arrived at the Fight Area in record time. Mach seemed to sense my rushing and wasted no time flying over. I was running the moment my feet touched the ground.

I saw his yellow and white fleece, and charged like he used to do to me. I began to yell.

… I tripped. There was nothing in the clearing to trip on, so I don't know how I did it. I think I twisted my ankle. It hurt, but I had more pressing things to do. I started to get up immediately, but by now my childhood friend had approached me.

"Barry! You can break free! I heard from Cynthia that NPCs can break their code! I'll help you, so please do it!" I was almost crying. I looked up.

" _Hey Lucas! You aren't the only one getting tougher! I'll prove it to you! Let's go!"_

Barry never listens. There was only one hope left. Forcing my tears back, I leaped back.

"Fine. You want to battle? Let's go."

I grabbed a Pokéball on my belt and held it out. I was determined: if I couldn't get him to change by words, I'd fight it out of him. I wasn't going to give up.

"We're battling with all our Pokémon. Victory condition is to be the last left standing. You okay with that?" It was only a formality; he couldn't respond.

Barry sent out his Roserade and smirked. I let loose my Weavile. I was playing for keeps this time, and there would be _no_ holding back.

"Weavile, use Blizzard!" As I commanded, the ice-type started to gather snow about himself. Just as he was about to launch the attack, Barry made his move.

"Roserade, Sunny day, then Solarbeam!" Instantly, half the ice around Weavile started to melt, and a beam of pure light pierced his midsection. That had to have been a critical hit. Weavile looked back, defeated, and fell. I had to bring out my starter, and this early? It was usually an unspoken rule that starters fought last, but I had to win. _Sorry about this_.

"Weavile, return. Inferno, go! Start with a Flamethrower!" Inferno launched the attack before the Bouquet Pokémon or her trainer could react. One for one, I thought, and I have the sun on my side.

* * *

We battled for hours. Since Weavile and Roserade had fainted, I hadn't been able to get an upper hand on my rival. His Pokémon's movesets were totally different to what I'd fought in the past, and his synergy with his partners was much stronger as well. I had no idea how to counter him. On the plus side, Barry wasn't making much progress either. My own Pokémon knew what to do to negate or dodge a lot of his attacks, but the damage was piling up. I'd switched multiple times to narrowly avoid his stronger super-effective moves, so my whole team was feeling a little exhausted. The battle was going _nowhere._

Nowhere until a surprise Brick Break hidden under a Flame Wheel made contact. With a _crack,_ Barry's Empoleon stumbled, and I finally had a chance. Following up with a Grass Knot, Inferno finished his most powerful Pokémon.

It was plain sailing afterwards. Inferno had no more reason to rain down fiery attacks everywhere, and although everything else fainted, my Luxray held out and eventually I downed his Snorlax. It was the most intense battle I'd ever had, but I didn't know if it worked. How are you supposed to tell if your friend broke his code?

I looked over at Barry. He was totally out of breath. In fact, he looked like he could barely stand. Slowly, he keeled over and fainted. My own adrenaline was also running out. I began to notice my own haggard breath and realised just how _hard_ it was to stand up. I staggered over to him just before I fell as well.


	4. Chapter 4: Seizure

Disclaimer: Story written by AttackInferno, but based on 'Can You Hear Me, Silver? It's Me, Lyra' by Illusion of Insanity. You should read that, it's good.

Disclaimer2: I don't own Pokémon.

 **Chapter 4: Seizure**

Lucas

I awoke in a Pokémon Centre. The room was small, but the pale yellow walls gave a feeling of cosiness. For a moment, I just lay there, until I remembered what had happened before I fainted. I had a slight headache, a little uncomfortable, but I didn't care. I sat up, and saw Cynthia sitting next to me. She was reading an old book, but came over straight away. She looked tired. The clock on the wall said one.

"Oh. You're awake, Lucas. That's good to see." She smiled at me.

Without missing a beat, I asked her, "Where's Barry?"

She motioned to another bed nearby. Feeling satisfied for now, I lay back down. About ten minutes passed. Barry screamed.

I leaped up and saw him looking petrified. Apart from the cries, he was not moving at all. A moment passed, and he suddenly jerked.

The screaming stopped. It was silent again. No-one breathed.

"Lucas? You there?" A small voice escaped my friend's lips. I sighed in relief.

"Yes, I'm here. How are you doing?" I asked. Even though this was probably the first time I'd spoken to him as himself, I couldn't think of anything to say to Barry.

"That hurt. I'm tired. If I don't fall asleep soon, I'm fining you ten million Pokédollars!" he whined. Oh well, that was like him, I guess. I also had a slight feeling he played down his pain a bit in front of Cynthia.

I sighed and returned to my bed.

* * *

Barry

The next morning, I felt awake and ready to take on the world. Last night was hell, but it's over now.

I looked over at the other bed in the room and saw my friend still asleep. I thought I'd wake him up a bit. I yanked his duvet off him.

He pushed his face into his pillow. "Barry! I let you sleep! Give me five minutes more."

"Nope! We've got stuff to do now I'm a PC! Come on, get up!"

It's impossible to argue with me. _Especially_ since I can say what I want now. Lucas got up in less than five minutes. That Champion chick downstairs was reading some old book on one of the plush red sofas when we got downstairs.

"Yo! Champion chick! Did you bring us inside? Thanks!"

She told me it was fine, and began quizzing me on my experience. I tried to explain as well as possible, but the only thing I remember is intense pain. I'm glad I was in bed because there's no way I could have stood through that. It was way too tiring afterwards, so I went to sleep, and here I am.

I mean, it was _not_ much to pay to become a Playable Character. To have the feeling I had in battle all the time is great. Seriously great. I wanna run around everywhere. I let out Emperor. He's not even hiding it, and runs through the glass doors straight away. I'm about to go with him, but I see Lucas talking to Cynthia. I bet they're wondering how I did it. I'm not gonna say it. It's about willpower. Maybe I'll fly over to Lake Valor and thank Azelf. Dammit, I'm standing around too much! Ten seconds before I dash! Nine... Bah! Who's got time to count?! I'm outta here!


	5. Chapter 5: Bonds

Disclaimer: Story written by AttackInferno, but based on 'Can You Hear Me, Silver? It's Me, Lyra' by Illusion of Insanity. You should read that, it's good.

Disclaimer2: I don't own Pokémon.

 **Chapter 5: Bonds**

Lucas

Barry's running around everywhere with his Pokémon. I suppose if I had been unable to move at all since I was born I'd do the same. I was just talking with Cynthia about this miracle. She said it was something to do with the bond between me and Barry. She's probably right. I don't think I could have fought like that with just anybody, after all. I can remember it in vivid detail: the boiling sweat, the dirt kicking against my feet, the slight panic when he calls out an attack, and the final surge of energy when we're both up to our last Pokémon. Barry was unlike I've ever seen him yesterday. His combos were new and sharper than ever.

Moving on. I'm just standing around right now anyway. A sudden migraine breaks into my head. I've got barely enough thought capacity to realise, ' _This pain... It's so familiar...'_ before I am forced to my knees. Cynthia's left us now, and Barry went off down Route 225, so I'm alone for this one. Another jolt through my brain makes me shudder.

I know where I recognise this from. Fantina's illusion attack was the same. There's something trying to enter my mind, and it's not stopping for a second. I try to think of a powerful emotion to make it back off. From the depths of my memory was a gentle laugh that I'd only heard once. Where did that come from? Still, it worked, and the (probably) ghost-type's presence fades. I sigh from relief. May as well chase it down. I let out Mismagius and Bronzong to help out. They can't find anything. I was too late. Dammit.

I brush myself off. I still hadn't found the natural Gible habitat in Sinnoh yet. Cynthia said she found her Garchomp as a baby in the northern outskirts of Oreburgh, so I'll look there first.

Barry's got a Pokétch, so we can get into contact pretty easily. I'm giving him a bit of space to take it easy for the moment.

* * *

I've reached Oreburgh... I've already been looking around for the last hour. I'm standing on a small hill. The city lies behind me, and I've got a pretty good view of the Route 206 and the rocky path to Mount Coronet. I doubt there'll be anything inside the mountain apart from Zubat and Graveler, so my only option is to go down to Route 206. Come to think of it, I don't know what it's like underneath the Cycling Road, as I usually ride through when going up to or down from Eterna. Time for some exploring! I'm pumped. I've travelled all over Sinnoh, so there aren't many places I haven't seen before. _Definitely_ going to a new region in a bit. As long as Barry doesn't rush off, I might travel with him.

* * *

I stepped into a ditch. That's what happens when you get distracted, after all.

 _Hold on..._

 _This is the same ditch Dawn crashed into when she flew off-road..._

Thinking about Dawn made me feel really awkward. I've always liked her, but she's an NPC, so I tried to keep a little distance between us. Well, um, yes, I do see her most days, but it's _only_ because I need to bring my research back to the Professor. Well, I haven't done much research lately, but it's still worth going to Sandgem in case there's a swarm or something. Falling in love with an NPC... it would never work. I manoeuvre around a log. It's an exercise in futility. It's not like she can actually say anything back.

… I'm an idiot. I can just go over to – _****! I'm going to have to crawl into a hole forever! I bet she hates me already!_

I'm fairly sure my face has gone white. Suddenly the breeze feels a lot colder.

So, it turns out talking to the girl you like when she can't respond makes you a little bit bolder than if you knew she'd reply. Because of this, I might have said the three words that would cause me to die of embarrassment... Now there's _no way_ I'm going over there. If she remembers anything at all, I'm done for. Hopefully she wasn't paying attention. Even those flowers I put in her room reek of more than friendly feelings.

I'm going to push this to the back of my mind and hunt Gibles for a while. That might help me take my mind off things for a bit.


	6. Chapter 6: Confrontation

Disclaimer: Story written by AttackInferno, but based on 'Can You Hear Me, Silver? It's Me, Lyra' by Illusion of Insanity. You should read that, it's good.  
Disclaimer2: I don't own Pokémon.

 **Chapter 6: Confrontation**

Lucas

I sigh. I can't put this off any longer. It's been a week since I've been to Sandgem Town. That's a week Dawn's been an NPC longer than she needed to be. Being scared is no excuse. On top of that, Mach only takes half an hour to fly there from the League.

For the hundredth time, I pull out Mach's Pokéball. The sun's fairly warm, but the breeze makes today feel much colder than I expected. Tracing my fingers around the button, I sigh again. I toy with the idea of releasing my Staraptor when a phone call snaps me out of my reverie. I drop the Pokéball in confusion. It's only Barry.

"Lucas! Meet me at Lake Valor tomorrow! It's important!" I whip my hand away from my ear when he starts speaking. My rival doesn't have an 'inside voice'. On top of that, he's already hung up.

I'm totally unaware of the large bird creeping up behind me until I've been caught by it's strong talons. I flail about for a moment, and then I look down. The ground is a dizzying way down. I look up.

"Mach! Put me down!" I yell in slight anger. I've been abducted by my own Pokémon... I should have put on a jacket. It's cold up here. When the Predator Pokémon ignores my order, I suddenly work out where I'm being taken, and that I've got no choice in the matter. Since I can't escape any more, I guess there's no point worrying. Did I mention that being carried by talons is not the most comfortable experience?

* * *

Mach drops me onto the grass right in front of the Pokémon Centre and starts circling me overhead. He won't let me leave, I'm guessing. Thanks to the forest all around Sandgem, the air is still, and I can hear Kricketot chirping all around. There are some clouds overhead, but in general the sky is clear. I take a deep breath and put one foot forward. Walking has never been _this_ clunky, even after all that space distortion at Spear Pillar. I catch sight of Dawn, outside the Lab. She's facing away from me, so I relax a little bit. Oh yeah, I still need to _actually_ go up to her.

I get close to Dawn. She turns around, her hair rustling a little bit. _Okay,_ I think, _you can do this._

"Hi, Dawn. I've got some news. Are you interested?" I ask cautiously. No response. That's probably good. "Do you remember Barry? He was an NPC." I'm talking slowly, and taking small steps, like the girl in front of me could run away at any time. "I found something out." Each sentence is getting easier to say. Maybe it's just Dawn's aura. "NPCs can break their code. Cynthia told me about it." I'm so close, I can hear her breathe. It's a soothing rhythm. "So please try! I'll do anything if you can!" She's still just standing in front of me. Nothing happens. "I understand if you hate me! Please do it!" Nothing. Dawn looks at me with the same small smile I see on her every day. She doesn't move. A sharp pain enters my chest. Of course it would never work. I can't be that lucky twice, can I? I'm fairly sure I'm crying, but I don't care. It's not like Dawn could tell me off for it, after all. I rush forward and embrace Dawn. She doesn't respond. "Dawn, please!.. I love you! I've told you before! Don't you remember?"

* * *

It's getting late. I can't stay out here all night. Dawn's code is probably telling her to go inside as well. I've been standing with her in my arms for hours now, waiting for some kind of change.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Dawn. Don't worry! I'll be back." My lips strain upwards over my tear-soaked face. I'm such a mess.

I let go, somewhat awkwardly. Red clouds hang low in the sky, contrasting with the night-dulled hues of Twinleaf Forest. I would admire the view on any other day, but today...

Mach is sleeping near the Pokémon Centre. I should wake him up and leave. I try to turn around, but my hand is still holding Dawn's. Her grip is solid, and her arm is visibly shaking.

Could this be what I'd been hoping for? Her head rises until she's looking into my eyes.

"Thank you, Lucas." There's a wide smile on my friend's face as she says it. "So, where are we going first?"


End file.
